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Recreational marijuana finally arrives in Boulder County

Karing Kind opens in county, Terrapin Care Station debuts in city

By Mitchell Byars, Camera Staff Writer

Posted:
02/18/2014 08:16:23 AM MST

Updated:
02/19/2014 09:47:06 AM MST

David Marx, right, Boulder County's first recreational marijuana customer, is helped by Will Donahoe, bud tender, with his purchase at Karing Kind in Boulder on Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2014 (Mark Leffingwell)

Nearly two months after they became legal in Colorado, recreational marijuana sales finally arrived in Boulder County as two shops opened their doors Tuesday.

Karing Kind became the first shop to sell retail marijuana to the general public in Boulder County when it opened around 10:20 a.m. Tuesday, and Terrapin Care Station at the corner of Canyon Boulevard and Folsom Street was the first to open in the city of Boulder a few hours later.

David Marx, of Longmont, was the first customer in the county after making his purchase at Karing Kind's store a mile north of Boulder.

"That was great," he said after making his purchase as the other customers in line applauded. "They've definitely got a large selection of product."

Marx was in line by 9 a.m., and even though he has a medical marijuana card, he said he likes Karing Kind's prices and selection, so he wanted to check out the retail scene.

He said he was expecting huge lines and long waits, but was pleased that the line to get into the store was only about five or six people long at any one time.

"For a first day, it's actually pretty small," he said.

Karing Kind's opening was delayed slightly after owner Dylan Donaldson got stuck in traffic on his way to pick up his state license at 8 a.m. in Denver. By 10 a.m., a line had started and Donaldson and his employees were readying the store.

Brothers Anthony and Rob Taylor traveled from Philadelphia to check out Colorado, but also heard about Karing Kind's opening and wanted to be among the first in line.

"Colorado is nice, but we do like weed — I'm not going to lie," Anthony Taylor said.

Rob Taylor pointed to the bag of product he was holding — about $250 worth — and said the feeling of buying marijuana was "euphoric."

"In Philadelphia, I'd go to jail for this," he said.

Added his brother Anthony, "It was just freedom. A load off your shoulders, being able to buy it. We really enjoyed it."

First in the city

Just before 1p.m. Tuesday, Terrapin Care Station became the first in the city of Boulder to sell recreational marijuana after also receiving its license from the state that morning.

"Being first in the city really means a lot to me," said owner Chris Woods. "With the Amendment 64 campaign, we've been working hard on this for 18 months."

Jacob Dingle and John Miller were the first in line. Neither lives in Boulder, but they work together part-time in Boulder, so when they heard about the opening they decided to swing by.

"I just Googled 'recreational marijuana' and I saw this place was planning on opening up," Dingle said.

Added Miller, "We thought we would give her a try."

Woods said in the days leading up to the opening he wasn't entirely sure when he was going to receive his license. He said he could have rushed things to see if he could beat out Karing Kind, but he elected to take the time to make sure he had everything ready.

"I knew I was going to be the first in the city for a while anyway," he said. "We wanted to make sure we did this correctly."

While some residents may have been upset with the weekslong wait after shops in other parts of Colorado opened up in January, Woods said the extra time did give him an opportunity to learn from those first businesses.

"We've been learning, and I think we really benefited from that," he said. You can think of everything, but then when people walk through the door you just don't know."

But overall, Woods said, the opening went smoothly. He is planning a bigger opening Friday with a news conference and some speakers.

"We knew it wasn't going to be perfect today," he said. "But we want this to be organic; we want our shop to be what it's always been. People can just come here whenever they are ready."

'Good thing for Colorado'

Karing Kind employee Jose Alvarado anticipated with only two recreational shops open in the county, the store would see a lot of business in the early going.

John Miller, of Denver, looks at a selection of edibles while purchasing recreational marijuana Tuesday, Feb. 18, at Terrapin Care Station on Folsom Street in Boulder. (Jeremy Papasso)

"At first, I think it will be a huge rush," he said before the shop opened. "Then as more places open, it will even out."

Alvarado also holds a medical card but is curious to see how recreational sales go.

"I'm excited," he said.

John Norman said he is glad he no longer has to go down to Denver to buy marijuana and is surprised it has taken this long for recreational stores to spread.

"I thought they would be everywhere by now," he said. "But now I think the prices will start to drop a little."

Canary's Song in Nederland, which got its state approval in December and its local license Jan. 21, could be the next to open for recreational sales in Boulder County, but that store ran into a number of logistical hurdles, including not being able to get product tags from the state. The store's Facebook page, where owners have said they will announce the opening date, has not been updated.

Boulder has issued licenses or is prepared to issue a license pending a building inspection to five retail marijuana stores, but even those with a local license are waiting on their state license.

By law, the Department of Revenue's Marijuana Enforcement Division cannot issue a license any sooner than 45 days from the date of application.

The other businesses that have received or are on track to receive city licenses are Boulder Botanics, 1750 30th St., Boulder Rx, 1146 Pearl St., Fresh Baked, 2539 Pearl St., and The Green Room, 2750 Glenwood Drive.

Those businesses are aiming for mid-March openings.

While Tuesday's Boulder County openings may not have gathered quite the fanfare Denver had on New Year's Day, for some it was just as momentous an event.

Greg Reshetiloff was one of the first to buy some marijuana from Terrapin Care Station. Reshetiloff is from Maryland and said it was the first time he had ever bought recreational marijuana.

"They gave me a receipt and everything," he said, holding up his package. "Look at it. I'm going to laminate it. This is going in the scrapbook. I just can't believe that."

Reshetiloff said he was impressed by Terrapin Care and the state.

"I felt safe, and the workers were easy to talk to and knowledgable. I felt like I could ask them about anything."

Reshetiloff recently bought property in Gilpin County and is in Colorado right now looking for work so he can move out permanently. While he said recreational pot is not the only reason he loves Colorado, it sure doesn't hurt.

"I think it's a good thing for Colorado," he said. "I feel like I'm part of history."

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